ArticleGlobal advances in health and medicine2015
Immediate Effect of Therapeutic Massage on Pain Sensation and Unpleasantness: A Consecutive Case Series.
Article in Global advances in health and medicine, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization as a promising approach for children with chronic neck pain: A single-blind, randomized study.Journal of back and musculoskeletal rehabilitation · 2026Trial
- Effects of Pulsatile Cupping on Body Pain and Quality of Life in People with Suboptimal Health:A Randomized Controlled Exploratory Trial.Medical acupuncture · 2018Article
- Effects of intermittent pressure imitating rolling manipulation on calcium ion homeostasis in human skeletal muscle cells.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2016Article
- The Wellbeing of the Workforce-In Healthcare and Beyond.Global advances in health and medicine · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMusculoskeletal pain is a common condition that poses a significant burden to its sufferers and costs the US economy billions of dollars each year in lost productivity. Individuals complaining of musculoskeletal pain make up a large proportion of clients treated by massage therapists in community practices, yet few studies have examined the immediate effect of therapeutic massage on this type of pain in the practice setting. PURPOSE: To assess the immediate effect of therapeutic massage on musculoskeletal pain sensation and unpleasantness in a community setting.
settingSolo private practice in central Virginia, United States.
participantsOne hundred sixteen first-time clients who complained of musculoskeletal pain as a presenting symptom. RESEARCH
designProspective, consecutive practice-based case series.
interventionA single 60-minute session of individualized therapeutic massage; techniques used included Swedish massage employing effleurage, petrissage, and friction,;deep tissue; myofascial; positional release; passive and resisted joint mobilization; and biofield modalities.
main outcome measuresVisual Analog Scales for pain sensation and unpleasantness.
resultsBoth pain sensation and unpleasantness were significantly reduced by a single session of therapeutic massage. Mean pain sensation decreased from 3.76 (SD=1.87) prior to massage to .89 (SD=1.35) following massage, with t=18.87, P<.001. Mean pain unpleasantness decreased from 5.21 (SD=2.48) prior to massage to .64 (SD=1.23) following massage, with t =20.45, P<.001. Effect sizes were 1.76 and 1.90, respectively.
conclusionsIn this case series, therapeutic massage appeared to be an effective intervention for common musculoskeletal pain that influenced both the physical and affective dimension of the pain experience. Although care was taken to reduce potential bias through limiting eligibility to first time clients and use of a standardized script, practice-based case series have inherent limitations. Issues in conducting practice-based research by massage therapists and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.